Jacob Longfellow (1811 - 1891)

Born 6 Oct 1811 in Machias, Washington, Maine, United States

Ancestors

Died 17 Apr 1891 at age 79 in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA

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Biography

Jacob was born on October 6, 1811 in Machais, Maine to Enoch and Anna Longfellow.^[1] Jacob married Martha Jane Getchell presumedly before the birth of their daughter, Mary Amanda, on January 13, 1840 in Machais, Maine.^[2] In 1850, they were living in Marshfield, Washington, Maine with four children ages 10 to 2 years old. ^[3] The History of Hennepin County, MInnesota stated the family was in the area of today's Brooklyn Center by May of 1852.^[4] His claim of 120 acres was granted a military warrant on November 1, 1859^[5]. He was a farmer.

The MN Territory Census of 1857^[6], 1865 ^[7] and1875 ^[8], and the federal censuses of 1860^[9], 1870^[10], and 1880, documented Jacob and his family in Brooklyn Township (Brooklyn Center did not incorporate until 1911). The Minneapolis City Directory of 1884-85 listed him as living with his son, D.W. Longfellow at 1712 4th Avenue South Minneapolis^[11]

According to the newspaper coverage of his tragic death by suicide, a tumble in 1880 impacted his physical and mental well being. His residence alternated from his place in Brooklyn--where his son-in-law farmed--to boarding with his other children in Minneapolis. When he died he was boarding at 1717 6th Street North and was found by his grandson hanging in the barn.^[12][13] The newspaper also posted his estate probate proceedings which ordered distributed on June 1, 1892.^[14]

None of the newspaper notices mention a funeral or burial location. His wife Martha had died in 1880 was was buried at Lakewood Cemetery, but according to the Lakewood Cemetery records, Jacob was not buried next to her until September 16. 1916.^{[15] [16]}

Jacob and Mary had nine children: Mary Amanda, Levi, Nathan, Seleda, David, Elizabeth Laura, Charles, Nellie, and Ansel. Their son Levi celebrated fifty years of residency on July 4, 1851, and that his father "built the first wagon bridge across the east channel from St. Anthony to this side of the city."^[17] For that celebration, daughter Mary Amanda retold the family's journey to Minnesota; then son Levi contributed the retelling to Old Rail Fence Corners: The A.B.C's. of Minnesota History (an anthology of anecdotes about the Minnesota frontier, dating primarily from the 1840s and 1850s) plus he added his own memories; re-posted here:

"One day back in my old home in Machais, Maine, when I was six years old and my sister Mary nine, my father said to her, "I will give you ten cents for your little tin trunk." This trunk was one of her most treasured possessions, and she asked him what he[Pg 217] wanted it for. He answered, "I am going to save money to take you all out to Minnesota and I want the trunk to hold the pennies and dimes we shall save for that purpose." She was so delighted with the idea that she readily gave up the trunk and contributed a dime to start the famous fund. Many times we emptied the contents of that little trunk and counted to see how much we had, though we all knew that not more than one or two dimes had been added since we last counted. It took us three long years to save enough for the eventful trip. In those days, instead of a run of two or three days, it took a month to make the journey.

One bright day in June, an ox team drove to our door and took us, a family consisting of my father, mother, two boys and two girls with our luggage to the Boston boat. From Boston, a train carried us to Albany, New York, and from there by canal boat we went to Buffalo. Here we boarded a lake steamer for Chicago. This place I remember as the muddiest hole I had ever seen. A plank road led from the boat landing to the hotel. One railroad ran west out of Chicago for a distance of about ten miles. Beyond this lay the unexplored country we were to enter. We hired a man with a team and a covered farm wagon to drive us across the prairies to Galena. One week was occupied in this part of the journey. This same man three months later drove a herd of cattle from his home to St. Anthony Falls. From Galena we took a steamboat to St. Paul where we were met by my grandfather, Washington Getchell, who had come west with his family three years previous. He brought us to St. Anthony Falls with his ox team. Among our luggage was a red chest. Every family in those days owned one, and I remember in unloading our things from the boat, the bottom came out of the chest scattering the contents about. Men, women and children scrambled to pick up the things but mother always said one half of them were lost.[Pg 218]

On the second of July, 1851 we arrived, receiving a hearty welcome from our relatives. My grandfather had built the second frame house erected in the town.

Early in the winter of 1854 at nine at night I was crossing the unfinished bridge one evening with a schoolmate named Russell Pease. We had been over to see his father who lived on the west side of the river. When we had reached the middle, Russell slipped and fell through onto the ice beneath. I ran back and down the bank to where he was lying, but he was unconscious and I could not lift him, so I ran back for help, found some men and they carried him home.

One day, before there was a bridge of any kind across the river, my father carried two calves over on the ferry, to pasture on the west shore. Several days later as he stood on the river bank, he noticed something moving on Spirit Island, the small island below the falls. Going out in a boat he found the two calves running about seeking a way to reach the east bank. They had evidently become homesick and started to swim across above the falls, and in some miraculous manner had been carried over the falls and landed safely on the island. Father rescued them, bringing them to shore in a boat.

I remember the greatest excitement each summer was the arrival of the caravans of carts from the Red River of the North. They would come down to disperse their loads of furs, go into camp in St. Anthony and remain three or four weeks while selling their furs and purchasing supplies. The journey and return required three months."

In the spring of 1853 our family moved from St. Anthony to a farm in Brooklyn Center, about nine miles out from town."^[18]

Sources

1. ↑ "Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWBB-LQH : 14 January 2020), Jacob Longfellow, 1811.
2. ↑ "Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWBT-LMV : 14 January 2020), Martha J. Longfellow in entry for Mary Amanda Longfellow, 1840.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6VC-1GG : accessed 9 June 2016), Jacob Longfellow, Marshfield, Washington, Maine, United States; citing family 51, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ Warner, Geo. E. and Chas. M. Foote; plus Neill, Edward & J. Fletcher Williams, History of Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota (By Rev. D. Neill) and Outlines of the History of Minnesota, (by J. Fletcher Williams) (Minneapolis: North Star Publishing Company. 1881. Johnson, Smith & Harrison, Printers. Minneapolis, Minn.
5. ↑ US General Land Office Records Accession Nr: MW-0135-181; T119 R21 sec 28. https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=0135-181&docClass=MW&sid=mafdxvmo.pyk
6. ↑ "Minnesota Territorial Census, 1857", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:38R5-T3Z : Tue Sep 12 22:02:00 UTC 2023), Entry for Jacob Longfellow and Jane Longfellow, 1857.
7. ↑ "Minnesota State Census, 1865 ", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPSS-CM9 : Wed Sep 13 17:06:44 UTC 2023), Entry for Jacob Longfellow and Martha Longfellow, 1865.
8. ↑ "Minnesota State Census, 1875", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKNF-J93 : Wed Sep 13 17:20:02 UTC 2023), Entry for Jacob Longfellow, 1875.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4LR-CTG : accessed 9 June 2016), Jacob Longfellow, 1860.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDH3-ZXM : Thu Sep 14 20:47:37 UTC 2023), Entry for Jacob Longfellow and Martha Longfellow, 1870.
11. ↑ Hennepin County Library Digital City Directory Collection 1884-1885 p. 410. https://box2.nmtvault.com/Hennepin2/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=7083e412-1de2-42fe-b070-7f82e5c869a4/mnmhcl00/20111108/00000016
12. ↑ Star Tribune 18 Apr 1891, Sat · Page 5
13. ↑ Minneapolis Daily Times 18 Apr 1891, Sat · Page 6
14. ↑ Minneapolis Daily Times 01 Jun 1892, Wed · Page 8
15. ↑ Lakewood Cemetery burial search https://www.lakewoodcemetery.org/burial-result/62769/jacob-longfellow
16. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVK1-PC65 : 7 August 2020), Jacob Longfellow, ; Burial, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States of America, Lakewood Cemetery; citing record ID 52629543, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
17. ↑ Star Tribune 03 Jul 1901, Wed · Page 11
18. ↑ Morris Lucy Leavenworth Wilder. 2007. Old Rail Fence Corners the A.b. C's. of Minnesota History. Project Gutenberg. pages 217-218. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/22179.

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